SilkAir to Launch Mandalay-Singapore Direct Flight

The Singapore-based regional airline lauds Burma’s second city as a “promising destination” as it announces a new three-times-a-week direct flight from next month.

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By Zarni Mann 15 May 2014

MANDALAY — Leading regional airline SilkAir is schedule to fly its first direct flight from Mandalay to Singapore on June 10, the Singapore-based carrier said.

“As Myanmar opens up, the economy develops and people traveling between Myanmar and Singapore are increasing,” Lim Wei Peng, general manager of SilkAir’s office in Burma, said during a promotional event in Mandalay on Thursday.

“Mandalay became the promising destination and we feel that it is a good opportunity for us, to expand in the market by operating a direct flight to Mandalay, to bring convenience to our customers from Mandalay.”

SilkAir, the regional brand of Singapore Airlines—which is majority-owned by the Singaporean government—will operate the route with Airbus A319 and A320 planes. The airline will run the direct flight from Mandalay to Singapore Changi Airport three times a week—on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays—but the return flight will make a stop in Rangoon.

In its announcement, the airline emphasized that the direct connection with Singapore means that passengers can connect to 99 cities around the world from Mandalay International Airport with a single transfer.

“We receive support from local authorities as well as from our trade partners and are working with the airport authorities to ensure the smooth disembarking and embarking for our valued customers. So now, we are quite confident that the flight will launch smoothly on 10 June,” Lim Wei Peng added.

According to the airline, the price of the round trip ticket is US$253 for a promotional period for bookings made before the end of May.

Tourism in has boomed in Burma since 2011, including in Mandalay, the city known as Burma’s cultural capital.

In 2013, about 30,000 tourists visited the country through Mandalay as international flights began landing at Mandalay International Airport. Thai airlines Bangkok Airways, AirAsia, Thai Smile and Thai Airways International have all operated flights between Mandalay and Bangkok since 2013.